Session Log: PianoEXE ver 1
by Zephyra Cobalt
Summary: Record of activities of Navi name: Piano.EXE, type AUTONAVI ver 1.51, sister project of AUTONAVI name: Forte.EXE. Rated T for safety, Disclaimer inside.
1. Entry 1: Hello World

**A/N: Something a little different. I don't own Megaman/Rockman or related items, that belongs to Capcom and resp. owners. I own my OCs Piano and her...sister though.**

Session Log: ver.1.0

Entry 001: Hello_World

**ACTIVATION ROUTINE SUCCESSFUL. SYSTEMS CHECK COMPLETE. ALL AREAS FUNCTIONAL.**

Unh. Hello. Hello? Where am I? …Scilabs. I'm in a lab? A lab…so that's what this big white place with a dark sky and white shapes hanging in the air is. The floor is a strange thing. I touch it with my hands and it feels solid…I touch it with these antennae things on my head and they show me strings and layer upon layer of ones and zeroes, bits and bytes…and data. Lots, and lots of data.

"Good morning, Piano. How are you feeling?" A warm male voice speaks to me from the other side of a window- wait, no it's a screen. I'm inside a computer. Piano…that must be my name.

"I'm fully functional sir." Who is this man?

"Very good. I am Dr. Takamisaki, I created you," he informs me. He created me? So that must mean…

"You are to me what humans call a "father"?" He smiles when I ask, smiling as though I were a small child.

"Yes, I suppose so," he replies.

"Would you prefer me to call you Dr. Takamisaki or may I call you "Father"?" I wouldn't want to offend him…somehow, having a family seems important.

"You may call me "Papa"." …a synonym for "father" and more familial.

"Yes, papa. What would you have me do?"

"Since you just woke up, would you like to explore the labs? It wouldn't do to have you get lost in the network," he suggests. That sounds reasonable.

"Yes, papa. Are there areas I shouldn't go to?"

"You may go where ever you like, through any door you can open or any bridge you come across. Just watch out for Alpha, the Internet Prototype Dr. Hikari Sr. is working on. You will recognize it- it is a large data structure with many wires connected to it. You can look at it, but don't touch it. Dr. Hikari Sr. doesn't want anything to happen to it yet." Internet Prototype Alpha, understood.

"Understood, papa."

"Do you have any questions, Piano?"

Questions…oh, maybe I should ask him- wait, I don't need to. My program README says that I am a repair navi…so these antennae things must make me able to access the programming in the data structures.

"No, papa."

"Alright then, I will come to pick you up from where-ever you are at seventeen hours sharp." The screen disappears, and I am left on my own. This network is vast, I wonder if I can explore much in these seven hours I have? But it will do me no good to stand here. I think there's some enticing-looking shiny blue data over in that path, maybe I will start there.

The distance is a bit larger than I anticipated. It took me a full four minutes and fifteen seconds to reach it. The data prism is smooth and blue. It looks relatively harmless, so it should be a good way to test this data reader ability I seem to have. Tentatively I poke the prism with my antennae- the antennae are easy to use, like a second pair of hands. For a nanosecond my vision is filled with ones and zeroes, in a pattern that appears to be battle chip data.

[Identified mystery data. Input response.] A message flashed in front of my eyes.

"Open mystery data." As if responding to that command, the antennae flash green and the outside peels away to reveal a Repair battle chip. The act of finding and discovering things is refreshing- I think I will go try to find some more. A small pouch appears in front of me and opens. I place the chip inside, and the pouch attaches to my waist. That is useful.

I wander down the corridor I have chosen, and find more such mystery data. Occasionally I would reach a purple one, which appears to be encrypted, but even that is no trouble. By the time I reached the end of that network path, my little pouch was considerably fuller than it was before. Most of what I have found are repair chips, recovery chips and the odd Invisible- I had discovered a different class of chips called "Subchips" according to my internal database, most of those were again recovery type and the odd Unlocker, which was of no use to me. There were also these items called "Bugfrags". They are lovely, even though I can tell they're pieces of corrupted data. One such bit looked a bit like food so I took a nibble- and I found they are quite tasty. I conclude that they must be a sort of navi-snack. I shall have to ask papa later. There were a couple of rare-looking combat type chips I happened on. One of these is something that looks like a super-strong barrier, and another appears to be some sort of bamboo lance set. There were, finally, also these odd coin-like data that according to my database are "zenny"- currency units. I have no use for them presently, perhaps papa will like it. I do not know why, but I feel the need to keep all these recovery chips on hand for some unknown crisis.

Time flies by quickly when one is enjoying themselves. Soon it was already time for Papa to come pick me up. I have explored two or three corridors and passed through one locked door, which opened after a while for me. Papa seems tired. Perhaps he will be taking me in that…PET…of his to where-ever he lives for the evening. I hope tomorrow will be as fun as today.

[End entry]


	2. Entry 2: First Repairs

Entry 002: First Repairs

Papa woke me up early this morning. I feel refreshed; my internal battery seems to be fully charged. Papa said I could go explore some more today, that there wasn't anything he wanted me to do, except to become familiar with the layout of Scilabs' network.

"Be a good girl, don't get in anyone's way, okay, Piano?" Papa told me.

"Yes, papa."

"Good girl. Now off you go, have fun, and please be back here by eighteen hours," he said, and the screen shut off. At first I was confused. This network is not a small one, and I am only two days old. I went down the left pathway yesterday; perhaps today I should get to know the right hand pathway. Maybe I will find more mystery data, and get better control of these…antennae things.

The right hand pathway is not as rich in data, as I soon found out. I walk onto it, and it is…dilapidated, to say the least. It is not as though nobody had stepped down here for ages, but it is falling apart, broken in many places. I touch a disintegrating wall.

These marks…I may not know much, but again, this database I was programmed with is very full of information. These marks aren't natural to cyberspace, they are not the marks of time or even just strenuous wear and tear. They were not made by the scientists. There are burns and slashes- there was a battle here, all along this pathway. Somehow I feel that I could repair this with great ease. I think I will try.

My antennae run along the marks, touching the programming. I can read it, and understand it as well. A console of some sort opens up in front of me, and I am easily able to punch in the missing ones and zeroes. The walls, the floor, the ceiling and even the strange furniture in this area become whole again. I find this to be enjoyable work. The programming almost sings to me.

I must have gotten a bit carried away. When I checked my internal clock again, it read that I had spent an entire hour just repairing the hallway. I had also, checking my step counter, traveled a few hundred thousand pixels. There is no mystery data along this stretch. How disappointing.

For a while, I saw no more marks. Suddenly then, I saw…a lot. Scuff marks, burn marks, dents, scratches, gashes, Mr. Progs that were somehow sliced in half, programs falling to pieces. I should hurry. First, the Mr. Progs. They are all muttering in broken chirps and peeps, something about a fierce fight, they couldn't get away fast enough. I poke them with my antennae, and again the console opens up. This is a bit more complicated- I am repairing a functioning, dynamic program, unlike the hallway from before which is just an interface.

Somehow, I manage to do it. I'm not sure how, but I managed to. Mr. Prog was soon up and running again.

"THANK YOU! PLEASE, GO HELP MY FRIENDS. I WILL TAKE CARE OF THE DAMAGE TO THE INTERFACE." It said. Well, that does make things easier for me. But enough wasting time rambling- there is work to be done. I scoot from Mr. Prog to Security Prog and back again, repairing them…and that's when I noticed something. The spot where they had been broken, they were weak. When I filled them in with my code, it seemed to be…a little more robust, somehow. It is very strange to me. Who could have done so much damage? Oops, I'm going off on a tangent again…

Another hour passed before I finished restoring the Mr. Progs, and I suppose, inadvertently upgrading them a little bit too. True to his word, the first Mr. Prog was quickly smoothing and filling in the broken interface we were on. I was about to head on my way again when I heard a navi. Whoever it is sounds like they were in pain, so I should go see if that one is okay.

This one is not okay. I found a guard navi lying on the ground a little ways from where I am. He is badly damaged. He must have been in the fight that made such a mess of this network interface. And whoever he has fought must be incredibly powerful. I could see bits of data streaming away from him- whoever it was has overdone it. This navi will be deleted soon if I do not act quickly. I approach, trying to seem as harmless as I can, but still, he shies away. Has whoever did this beat the navi so badly he cannot recognize that I am no threat?

"S-stay away from m-me…" he stammers.

"Please, I mean no harm, I want to repair you." I try to reassure him, but it seems to have no effect. It is as though his thought program was damaged as well.

"NO! You're j-just like him!" he shouts. Who is 'him'? The one who did this? I am about to ask, but the damage is too great and he goes into standby. Well, easier for me, anyways.

A netnavi's insides are complicated. It took me an hour just for that guy. There are several layers, and even more in the thought program which was, as I suspected, damaged from the trauma. I performed a few minor upgrades, to hopefully help him survive longer, like, I think I had the program file for an aquasword in my database- and I saw he used a sword-like weapon, so I implemented that as an optional weapon after I finished stabilizing and repairing his main systems. Finally, the work finished, I rebooted him.

"Are you feeling better?" I ask.

"…Yes, very much, thanks. Sorry about earlier." He doesn't seem like a bad guy.

"No problem…but what do you mean, "I'm like him"? Who's him?"

"Oh. You're a bit strange…don't you have a human operator?" he asks.

"…What's that?" The navi I just asked checks his timepiece.

"Oh. SHOOT. I'd tell you but I have no time to explain. My apologies, and good luck out there! Run away if you see someone strong!" And he leaves without letting me know ANYTHING…that's…great.

I spent the rest of the day mostly wandering and getting acquainted with the network, and fixing things where I saw them needed. Time flew by, and soon it is time to go home again.

"How was your day, Piano?" Papa asks.

"It was…busy. I fixed a lot of things today, even this one guard navi that says strange things."

"You repaired a navi? That's impressive! You're only on your second day of life! I'm so proud of you!" he says. I'm glad I got his approval, but…

"Papa, the guard navi I repaired looked like he was damaged in a battle with someone stronger than he was. When I got close, he said "you're like him". After I finished, he said I am strange. Papa, am I different from the other navis?"

"Well, yes, you are. You don't have a human behind you dictating your every move. You are an independent navi. You also happen to be one of the few females here, so I suppose you are different." He explains…so that's what it means…no Operator, I can move on my own…am I the only one? But…that guard navi said there was someone else…

Maybe I am thinking too much. Perhaps I will go look into it more tomorrow.

[End Entry]


	3. Entry 3: More Scientists

Entry 003: More Scientists

I forgot to do it the other day, but this morning I remembered to give Papa the zenny I found. He was happy, even though it wasn't much. I had only found a few hundred. According to information I found in an encyclopedia program, about a hundred zenny make up an Ameroupe unit, so what I found was equivalent to "pocket change". Today's activities are no different from yesterday's. Papa told me to explore some more. I expect I will actually have something else to do in a week, or at least be able to determine what I want to do. I think I preferred the left path a little bit more, so I chose another network pathway on the left side of the home area.

There is not as much mystery data as the first pathway I have ventured into, although I did find some interesting blocks of generic stored data. I find these antennae things to be useful, if only I could turn off the 'program analysis' function at will. It is a bit of a pain when I want to pick things up with them. I suppose the appearance of such data is entirely random. This pathway also doesn't show any damage, so whoever that guard navi from yesterday told me about has not yet passed through here- or maybe that person has, but did not fight.

Eventually I came to another large space, after unlocking a door, as large if not larger than the home page from which I am plugged in from. There are screens showing other humans-scientists- scattered along the upper half of the area. I stare up at them- I have never seen these people before. Who are they? They look busy, working on something- a block of data that I can't see too well. I am curious, so I creep a little closer, raising my antennae things to hopefully have a look. Suddenly a scientist looks up and notices me.

"You again? What do you want now- oh, wait a second, I haven't seen you around," he said. I am confused. Does he know me? I have never seen this man before, nor have I stepped into this area…so how would he know who I am? Did he mistake me for somebody else?

My confusion must have shown. He shook his head, almost laughing, a little impatiently. "No, no, I thought you were someone else. Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Piano EXE." I will not tell him my age unless he asks. Somehow I do not want to be seen as a complete newbie.

"That's a strange name, but then again, our own charge is pretty odd himself. Anyways, carry on, Piano." He said no more, concentrating on the block of data. I would ask him if I am allowed to touch the data he is manipulating, but he doesn't seem to want to pay any more attention to me. I probably should not, maybe he is like that Dr. Hikari I have heard of, and will not want his data messed with before he is done with it. I will stay awhile though, just to watch. I have a feeling that whoever they thought I was initially is not someone they think of fondly.

I hear a loud bang, and lots of yelling from somewhere. Then I heard more explosions. The scientist looks up, annoyed, and for a second remains so, as he opens a window to see what is going on. He then gets a panicked look and runs off yelling, "Somebody get the doctor, he's at it again!" 'Doctor?' 'He?' Who are these people talking about?

Just as suddenly as the explosions began, they ceased. I saw no one here, so I exited, going towards where the explosions were. Once more I saw a similar scene as yesterday- programs broken, the interface damaged, and so many navis looking as though something huge had ravaged them. I saw a swift movement by a dark figure, but it was too fast- I could not tell who it might be.

I must hurry. The damage I have calculated for these navis is a consistent 85%. If I do not intervene they will be deleted. My memory has stored the previous day's endeavors. This time I did not take as long- I was able to reduce my repair time per navi to collectively half an hour each- it took me about ten minutes to stabilize them and twenty minutes to perform the restoration and upgrade. The programs too consumed about ten minutes and forty-two seconds. I have repaired fourteen netnavis and twenty programs, as well as the entire interface. The damage on the navis was severe- some had core programs decimated to nearly nothing, from which I had to rebuild using timestamped data in their own session logs, as well as regenerating destroyed parts of their frames and smoothing out any of the obvious weak points that were in their structure. Some of the navis looked significantly different after I was finished with them, as I had had to lighten some armours, reinforce others, and integrate weapons upgrades. There were a few navis that I had to almost totally rebuild, and it was extremely tricky to deal with the ones who had severed frame extensions. Some of them also struggled and injured me before I could force them into standby to begin restoration. Thankfully I am able to regenerate myself quickly. The programs were easier to deal with- they didn't have such an advanced AI so I could more easily access the damaged layers with my antennae and repair them. They reintegrated themselves after I had restored them to full functionality.

I am exhausted. That entire effort used up the remainder of my day. My internal battery feels completely drained. I hardly have the strength to return to my homepage. But I am proud- so far I have a strong track record, I have not lost a single program yet.

"Welcome back, Piano-whoa, what did you do today? Your battery is already down to 8%!" Papa sounds concerned.

"I spoke to a scientist today, and then I repaired an interface, twenty programs and fourteen netnavis." My speech sounds slow, tired. I would like so much to enter standby and sit on my charger for eight hours…

"Goodness my girl, no wonder you are so worn out! You'd better recharge before you…" Too tired.

**[BATTERY AT CRITICAL PERCENTAGE. INITIATE HIBERNATION.]**

[End Entry]


	4. Entry 4: A Fun Place

Entry 004: A Fun Space

[**RESUMING PIANO EXE.**]

I wake up fully recharged. I suppose yesterday's little adventure is what most people would call "overdoing it". I suppose my energy supply isn't yet developed enough, or perhaps I am still ignorant of a more conservative way to use my techniques. In any event, I don't think I want to run into another path of destruction and would much like to do something else today. I may be fully recharged but I feel far from refreshed. Papa didn't need to tell me to explore, I know he wants me to do more of that. Today I saw a straight path; I will take that and pray to whoever is up there that I don't meet another rash of destruction. I do not want to fight; I may even be lazy, as I don't want to repair anything at all today. I might love my work, but there is such a thing as too much. Yesterday is the best example of too much.

The straight path took me to a new place. It was brightly coloured, and there were windows and pots of cyber paint, and brushes and videos and all sorts of fun-looking stuff. I've never painted before, maybe I should try it. There are so many pretty colours. The videos look really nice too. I would like to try listening to some music with that. Then there's a discussion board nearby- I wonder if there's any good information, should I post or not? I should check that, maybe I will find out who the mysterious 'he' is!

[Accessing Scilabs BB. Identity verified. Transferring to discussion board.]

[10:09] Shiho: He's driving me nuts. I turn around for ten seconds, and he has completely ruined my security setup.

[10:10] Piko: I know. Then with that attitude he has, it's like he's better than we are. All he does is fight, fight, and wreck everything in sight.

[10:10]Taka: Well, he is a prototype, what were you expecting?

[10:11] Shiho: 'Morning Taka. How's yoyour project going?

[10:11] Taka: Just fine, Shiho. My expectations were far exceeded.

[10:11] Shiho: :thumbup: If only we could claim equal success. Oh great, he's back. Now I get to deal with him ranting about how sucky the setups are and how easily he was able to break it.

[10:12] Shiho is offline

[10:13] Taka: Should I send my project to clean up after ours?

[10:13] Piko: Better not, I saw how it was yesterday. Your project is genius, but it seems to have a problem with its power supply.

[10:14] Taka: I'm already working on an upgrade for that. How fare you with our main project?

[10:15] Piko: As Shiho has mentioned, the main Autonavi has no respect for us. He only listens to Cossack-to the rest of us he is nothing short of condescending. Granted, he is powerful and has reason to brag, but I would be more appreciative if he was as mellow as yours.

[10:16] Taka: Thx 4 the compliment. Maybe I will let my project meet the main one.

[10:17] Piko: Does Cossack know about it yet?

[10:17] Taka: No, not yet, but things never stay secret for long here do they?

[10:18] Piko: True enough. Well, I should go. Cossack wants us to meet for more battle testing of the main project. Meet you there.

[10:19] Piko is offline

[10:19] Taka is offline

Hm…that is interesting. I wonder who all these scientists are. I recognize 'Taka', his IP address matches my homepage's. That must mean Taka is actually Papa. I would have appreciated it if he at least named my gender, though I am not sure why that upsets me. Perhaps it is something to do with my sense of self. I do not like to think of myself as merely a thing, a project, for I know I can think, and I am self-aware.

Do I envy him? The mysterious main Autonavi project, that powerful battler, who, from the board, is a very confident guy; do I envy him, for he has been acknowledged as someone, instead of some_thing_? Am I a little hurt that my papa calls me a project, and sees me as a thing, instead of that boy's father, who sees him as a person, from what the other scientists said? Even they see him as a person, though they sound like they dislike him.

Do they acknowledge him because he is powerful, or because he is good at what he does? No, it must be because he is powerful, and more than a little destructive, whoever he is. Otherwise...otherwise they'd call me a 'she' instead of an 'it'. Huuuu. It makes me feel a bit...jealous.

I should not dwell on it. There is an interesting Painting thing over there...I'd like to try that out. Maybe it will make me feel better. I saw some pretty pictures on one side of the PET wall, maybe I can make some too! I move to pick up a brush, and my antennae do it again. No, I don't want to see their programming, I want to paint. These antennae are like extra hands to me. Perhaps I can learn to control these things a bit better today.

It took a few tries, but I think I can safely say that I can disable the program reader at will now, and re-enable them just as easily. I tried to paint a picture of a rabbit. Alas, I cannot say my artistic skill is all that great- this rabbit resembles a car more than anything, and it looks distinctly like the hand of a preschooler, which is probably what I am in terms of most of my secondary skill set, now that I think about it. Well, it's something at least. I'm no artist, but at least I can use all four of my hands now.

I passed the day in a peaceful way, without doing anything in terms of work. Papa said my rabbit looks okay for a first try, but I think he's just trying to make me feel better about myself. I will not tell him what I saw on the boards. It isn't important, anyways. I feel a bit bad keeping secrets, but I...just don't want to tell him. I wasn't exhausted...tomorrow I should be ready to work again.

I really want to...I really want to meet him...whoever he is...

[End Entry]


	5. Entry 5: I feel like a ninja

Entry 005: I feel like a ninja.

Well, now that I have been refreshed, there is no reason for me not to go resume my normal activities. Papa, I think, seems to expect me to go explore, so as soon as he plugs me in and wishes me a good day, I depart to the direction that my antennae point me to. Again, it's on the right hand side of the hub. I haven't been here often, but every time I am down on the right, I remember that I will find no mystery data and instead encounter damage. Then, there is the matter of that Other Navi's homepage.

My antennae were pointing down here, for some reason. Here is yet another function I don't quite understand. Why do they point? For what do they answer? But I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. I will soon find out, I only need to keep going.

There is no damage in this corridor, which surprises me today. The last time I was here there were many things broken and destroyed. Could that mean I have it easy again? I don't think that will be the case. Once more I reach another hub- that same place I met that scientist in two days ago. There are many more screens open, but no one is there. I may yet see the ones who were to watch however, if I follow these links that connect the videos. Hmm, let's see, I think I want to try that upper left one first. I can see a pale line, so I suppose I will follow that. Here is another screen...but no one is there? I can hear sounds of speaking though, and a lot of background noise, like cups and plates and clipboards and pens on paper...

I should look around. This area is not as large as the second hub, but it is still spacious. There is nothing here except a few data blocks floating in the cyber sky, and the occasional data block on the ground. I can see a few barred doors, doors locked tightly with layered setups. Or, I suppose I should say they _were_. They aren't anymore- something or someone has smashed clear through it and the security is in tatters.

Nearby I hear a groan. A-a security navi! What happened to him, he looks like he's been ravaged as badly as the system setup was! I don't know what to start with first- ah, let's do the navi, he looks like he's only barely functioning now, if I leave any longer, he might not even be around! My previous experiences tell me that I should not bother introducing myself, in case someone mistakes me for someone else again.

**[Engaging code analyzer, begin repair and restoration of critical system files! Critical error identified. Verifying identity, confirming command, deleting faulty code, commencing overwrite. Restoring lost data, rewriting damaged files...complete. Rebooting netnavi.]**

Okay. That fella's done, and he seems to be okay now. He chatters a nervous thanks, but I should get on that security setup. The scientist who did this had a three-layered firewall filtering...let's see if I can come up with something similar...

Gah, forget it. This setup's a mess! None of these connect properly- bring one layer down and the entire gateway collapses! Oi...it just gets harder and harder every day! Why am I suddenly redoing entire security setups? I don't even know if I'm doing this correctly! Okay, let's see, raise outer layer, set security to medium, running test check for outside party access, running test check against viral attacks, running test check against repetitive ping and packet overload...pass. Raising second layer firewall, set security to high medium. Raising third layer firewall, set security to high. Connecting layers-

"Hey! What are you doing here? Didn't you have enough of wrecking my system- wait a minute...what are you doing?" I jump five hundred pixels straight up, so badly startled I am at the sudden shout. Another scientist! He must have thought I was the one who did this.

"Identity is Piano EXE. Current directive is restoring and enhancing your security setup." I reply mechanically, trying to masquerade as a normal repair navi.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Nanase. Carry on, Piano." He turns his back and continues to chat with his fellow scientists. Shakily, I return to my previous task. I must not let another scientist find me. People are getting me mixed up with somebody else. I dislike this- am I not even worthy of notice as a distinct entity? A few minutes later, I am able to complete the enhancements. I disappear before Nanase comes back, following another video-link to a computer farther to the left. Again, I find ruins. A devastated guard detail and a half-destroyed program are scattered across the room. Again the viewing screen is empty. I must make haste. I can hear footsteps...multi-target repairs...done! Next! Done! And, I better go! Phew, just in time...the scientist returns and sees nothing amiss, and leaves again. So I continue my day in this manner, following all sorts of video links and repairing as I go, almost being seen a few times. I feel like a ninja. Those couple of close misses were very close indeed- the scientists actually lingered to see what was there. I hide behind walls and corners, holding my energy signature close and praying that they don't see me.

Yesterday I felt that I wanted to meet this strange powerful warrior who I am constantly mixed up with. I still do. But I know for sure now, I do not like it but I am definitely jealous. It's always about him, it's always him! I'm always being confused with someone else! And he's a HE! I'm a SHE! How the heck do those scientists not even notice that? I bet we don't even look alike... I am not whoever this person is! I don't destroy, I repair! I do something completely opposite of what the other one does! What do I need to do to make them see that? I repaired so much, but...maybe I haven't done enough yet.

Enough. I will gain nothing by feeling such. I will search him out. I will find him. And then, I will know what I must do to earn my right to be recognized. I am still young and already, I am suffering from identity issues.

I return to my PET feeling rather badly about everything. I can't believe I have to hide just to dodge more accusations...and yet, once they realise that I am harmless to them, they ignore me...

"Piano, you look upset. What happened today?" Papa asks.

"I am annoyed. Why won't anyone get my name right? Why do they all think I'm like...someone else, who destroys everything?"

Papa's expression was mildly surprised for a second, a brief moment, before smoothing out again.

"I suppose that is because no one has heard of 'you'." But he will not say more.

For the first time in my life, I have got to say...I'm really aggravated.

[End Entry]


	6. Entry 6: Virus Attack

**Entry 006: Virus Attack!**

I must say...viruses are cute, but I don't like them.

I don't know what happened while I was in standby, but when I resumed and was plugged into the system, it was utter chaos. Even MY homepage looked like a tornado had been through it. The interface has been mauled; the wallpaper is torn, disintegrating data blocks are everywhere and virus parts are littering the floor. The warning lights were going off almost constantly, and now that I think about it, when Papa signed me in, he did not tell me to have a good day, to have fun, or even to go. He looked worried and serious, and I think that is a fairly good indicator of the severity of this problem.

"Piano, listen to me. There has been a severe breach in one of the security setups isolating Scilabs Net from the rest of the Internet. All of the security navis and even the other Autonavi are trying to subdue the viruses that have flooded the system," he briefs me. I nod, to show I had heard.

"What shall I do, papa?" I ask.

"You are one of the ones vital to the security of Scilabs. You must locate and close the breach. The other Repair navis and Mr. Progs have all been dispatched. If I find the source of the outbreak before you, I will contact you accordingly. Good luck, stay safe, and don't get deleted!" he finished, and began working on something, probably also to crack down on the source. So, I'm really not "playing" today- I am "working". I raise my antennae, use the program reader with my inadvertently found "damage seeker". The strongest signal seemed to originate from the leftmost branch of the hub. I ran down the hallway.

Indeed it was a terrible mess. I thought the destruction wrought by the mysterious other entity was bad, but this is by far the worst I've seen in the few days I am alive. The interface is in shreds, I can even see the backbone structure of the area exposed through the mauled floor. Several navis are battling viruses. The viruses look powerful, so I can only conclude that this may be a third-party hacking attempt. I wanted to help repair the place, but first I must find the firewall and close the breach. I am perhaps a little bit worried- Papa told me to stay safe and not get deleted. That might mean that I need to do battle. There is, however, a problem with that- I am not aware of any battling capabilities in my system. I do not know what to do if I am confronted by a virus and I can only hope that there is a battle program coded into my functions.

Alas, the time to find out has arrived. I must be approaching the firewall- the viruses are particularly dense in this area. So far I had escaped notice from having an apparently small, insignificant power signature. Of course, part of the reason I even got this far could be because most of the viruses were too busy with the navis fighting them to notice me. However, I seemed to have arrived in the wrong...or perhaps right part of the firewall- I seemed to be alone, and as the only navi in the area, all of the viruses were looking at me. I can tell they are hostile.

I am alarmed to realize that I have no idea what I should be doing. I find it incredibly ironic that in this dangerous situation, I have no battle capabilities. According to what I read on the discussion board, I am a secret project that is the sister to another. According to papa I am a repair navi, a very capable repair navi if he trusts me to go fix the biggest firewall in the system. But I cannot fight, unlike the mysterious other entity that I am always being mixed up with. It seems the division of ability was very imbalanced. Now, however, the leaders of this large pack are approaching me. I must either find a way to engage them, or get out before I get deleted. I wonder if perhaps I can do the reverse of what I usually do with my antennae. Wait, I should not be thinking that way. There are too many viruses, and I have no experience in messing up programs. I must flee.

So I turned tail and ran, but it seems the viruses are viewing me as their prey. They are pursuing me, and I do not know what I am to do. I found a broken sword somewhere and attempted to stab a virus that got too close. It feels awkward, and I missed my mark, however, it seems to have surprised the virus. I used that opportunity to run more. I ran through various pathways, trying to escape my pursuers, but they were not letting up. Finally, I end up back at the firewall- how had I done a full circle? But now I'm cornered. And the problem is that I can't fight.

Ah. This is somewhat inconvenient. I appear to have arrived at the damaged area, but alas, the viruses seem to have realized that I cannot fight. That awkward attempt with the sword was clearly too little, and now they will probably try to eat me. I do dislike my lack of versatility… Um, well I guess there is no point in just standing here. They might destroy me, but I can at least try to patch up this glaring compromise in the system. I wish Papa at least installed a self-defence system into me. Bracing myself for some pain, I sent my antennae backwards and plugged them into the firewall, trying to get into some sort of awkward fighting stance so I could at least try to defend myself.

The compromise was severe. The firewall is too old, or had already taken too much damage. It is, for lack of a better term, decaying. I am trying my best to start the repairs, but even as I perform the analysis, I can feel the viruses biting into me. I am not very good at coordinating the operation of my antennae and my self-defence simultaneously. I can tell my own damage is beginning to accumulate. It hurts, it really does…I can feel their teeth, their claws, and if I take damage at this rate, I will not survive long enough to even begin the setup's overhaul. I don't even think I can even make the next minute. No, not even the next second, there is a large Spikey virus going for my throat right now.

Suddenly the virus makes a choked cry, and disappears into a shower of bits. Then, before I could draw breath, the viruses near me also began to disappear, suddenly deleted. Someone had saved me, but who was it? I blinked and looked around, my repairing directive momentarily suspended. The horde of viruses also looked around in confusion, unsure as to who or what had so suddenly deleted their fellows. Before I could even flinch back to the damaged firewall and get out of the way, a dark figure sped past me and paused as the viruses in his vicinity- no, this entire area where I was- fell.

"Th-thank you," I managed to stammer out. He glanced at me for only a moment, but it was long enough for me to see the haughty disapproval on his face.

"What kind of navi are you?" the other navi narrowed his eyes, as though trying to figure out what I am. He seemed to be really annoyed at me, I wonder what I did besides being here that got him like that? "You can't even defend yourself. Go back to your creator. Navis that can't fight shouldn't even be out here." And with that he disappeared, probably hyper-linking to another place that was as badly overrun.

I know what he says is truth, but it still annoys me- a lot. I KNOW I'm weak, I know I'm incapable of fighting, but still, that was HARSH. Just because I can't fight…but he's right. I'm on a battlefield, why am I here if I can't even defend myself? That doesn't mean I can just go home though…I am here to repair. I might be weak…but I can move entire areas if I want to! I'll show him! I turned all my attention back to the firewall. The entire setup is decaying, as I said, and on closer inspection, it has existed without proper maintenance for a while, not to mention that compared to the designs in my database, it's outdated. I'll have to take the whole thing down, and rebuild it! That would probably not be wise though, in the current situation. Whoever attacked the firewall probably wanted to bring it down, and I am not about to do their job for them. I will set it up behind this firewall, then bring down the faulty one. It's the only way to do it, I think. I hope I know what I'm doing.

I send a command through the old firewall to temporarily repel anything on either side of it so I will have enough room to create the new firewall. It won't last very long- those viruses took more than a few bites out of me. Papa won't be too pleased, he DID tell me to be careful…but I will have to worry about that later. I can feel the brief pulse as my command went through. Now it's time to get to work. As much as I'd like to salvage the old one, it's beyond help. First, I have to use the old firewall as a base for the new one and build off that…grab the framework first, then create basic functions, a recognition system, set security level, create preferences, create settings, activate some options, double check to make sure the code's in the right place, then I can activate it. I need to get that repair team to give me a little help too…

[FILE NAME: SCI_. CREATING PROGRAM…PROGRESS: 10%...23%...34%...42%...59%...70%...75%...80%...87%...95%...100%. UPLOADING REGISTRY. UPLOADING PREFERENCES. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO USE THESE SETTINGS? [Response: Yes] SAVING SETTINGS. INSTALL SCI_? [Response: Yes] ENTER ADMINSTRATOR PASSWORD: ********** [Response: Ok] PASSWORD ACCEPTED. ACTIVATE NOW? [Response: Yes] ACTIVATING SCI_. THIS MAY TAKE A FEW MOMENTS… … … SCI_ ONLINE. Time taken: 2hours 07minutes 58seconds]

The new firewall went up just in the nick of time…the old firewall, I could see through the program's transparent cells, crumbled soon after. The repair team and I hung around tensely to see if it would hold. The viruses trapped on the other side…couldn't get in! I bet it was the work of some hacker somewhere else on the Internet. Tentatively I poke the new, fresh-built firewall with my antennae. The virus attacks have abated briefly, but I can feel pulses from what appears to be a multiple-ping attack. They seem to be trying to overload the new firewall we just built. Hmmmm, I wonder if I can do something about this. The firewall seems to be smart- it is ignoring even the pinging. That is good. I guess now I can finally leave it alone, go see who needs help, and hopefully not go into standby mode again.

Ouch. Never mind about seeing other people right now, I'd better heal myself first. Those recovery subchips I picked up from the mystery data blocks are useful after all. I use up a few Mini-energies. There, that is satisfactory. I went around the network, and saw Mr. Progs taking care of the damaged interface. That's good, I don't know if I am strong enough to do what I did a couple of days ago. I just helped build a brand-new firewall after all.

The network was more or less abandoned by the time I got around to every part of the battlefield. I suppose most of the navis have already logged out. I can't even find that black navi with the caustic personality that helped me earlier. I guess he left, too.

That black navi is really strange. We seem to share a similar graphics design, and he looks so different from the other netnavis that are present right now. He looks more like a human and less like a storm trooper. He moves and attacks like he has no Operator too, just like me. Of course, he's also much more powerful and battle-efficient than me…or anyone else for that matter. From the looks of him, he seems newer than the other navis but a bit older than me.

Wait a minute. That description seems congruent to that chat I read on the Fun Room's BBS. Could that be the navi I am getting mixed up with all the time? If he is, those other scientists are blind. Last time I checked, I was a pale shade of violet, and smaller in all respects. I think I will ask Papa.

[TRANSFERRING TO ]

Papa is here. That is good.

"Papa, I'm home."

"Piano, thank goodness you're still in one piece! What happened to you? I thought I told you to be careful- you look like you've been chewed half to death by viruses!"

"I am sorry, papa. It is disadvantageous to me, however, that I lack a means with which to defend myself."

Papa pauses and calls up another screen. "Oh yes, that's right, you need a Battle Program installed. That will be included in your next upgrade. So, what happened while you were out there? Those injuries look bad." He seems to want a status report.

"Status report: The cause of the attack appears to be a hacker from another location on the Internet. I have a sample of the signal stored in my memory. The firewall that was under attack was old, and already decaying. The Software Assistance team and I created a new one. It seems to be stable and working well. As for my own injuries, I was attacked by several viruses."

"You are lucky you survived such an onslaught," he states, apparently looking at my program status.

"Yes, I am lucky indeed. A very strong black navi came to my aid." When I said that, Papa looked at me strangely.

"Could you describe this black navi?" he asked. That is good, he might know about my unfriendly savior.

"Yes, papa. He is a bit taller than me and has a similar graphic design as me. He also seems able to function without an Operator. He is unfriendly, but he is very powerful- he deleted the viruses in my working area in 1.982 seconds. Papa, do you know who this navi is?"

"I think I might. Was the first thing he said to you a comment about how weak you were, and does he have large fins on his helmet?" Papa inquired, his tone gaining a sour edge.

"Yes."

"That would be , the Main Autonavi Project." Papa said, slightly irritated for some reason. "He is indeed powerful, but he has a love for fighting- it was he that caused the damage you repaired on that navi and network interface a few days ago. Incidentally, he is also the one that you are getting confused with, simply because you are both Autonavis. As I said, nobody knows about you yet, so they think he's the only Autonavi out there, which is why they assume you and Forte are the same entity."

"Oh." Well, that does dampen my mood somewhat, but it is an honest mistake. "…Then, I suppose for now I must defer to him as my older brother?"

"You could think of him that way, yes, and it would be wise to stay out of his way. As you have noted, he is powerful, and has destroyed navis more powerful than you. I would advise you not to go looking for him, at least not until you receive an upgrade that might at least raise your chances of survival if you catch him on a bad day." Papa warns me.

"Yes papa." Oh. Again, disappointing. I had wanted to go look for him…to see if there was some way I could possibly differentiate myself from him. I suppose I will have to wait a little while.

"Well, good job on work today, Piano. I will send security HQ your findings. I'm impressed, you managed to discover the cause of the problem and even help with the creation of a new firewall. Today must have been tiring for you. Would you like to recharge and recover now?" he asked.

"Yes please."

"Alright. Log out, Piano, and good night!" he said.

**[End Entry]**


End file.
